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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. rush — hurry
  5. object — an aim
  6. land — a country
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — to protest
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. craft — a skill
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. squash — to crush
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. object — a thing
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com